Army Chief didn’t leak letter: IB sources

New Delhi: Army Chief General VK Singh appears to have gotten a clean-chit in the letter leak case.

Reports said quoting sources that the Intelligence Bureau, which was asked to probe how the Army Chief’s confidential letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh detailing the gaps in India’s defence preparedness got leaked to the media, has not found any evidence of the letter being leaked by the Army Chief or his supporters.

The leak led to a huge row with fingers being pointed at Gen Singh for exposing India’s defence weakness. With the opposition even gunning for his head, the General categorically denied his role in the leak, while calling the act as “treason”.

The letter leak came just after the Army Chief’s explosive disclosure in a media interview that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crores to clear the purchase of a tranche of 600 trucks of a particular make. Those vehicles turned out to be Tatra trucks and their suppliers are now under probe.

Following the leak of the letter, Defence Minister AK Antony – whose ministry could be the another source of the leak – had ordered a probe saying the mole would receive the "strongest punishment under Indian law".

The opposition parties had also demanded to know how the letter got leaked and who was behind it.